Browsing PBH By Articles

Chris Lee And The Hypocrisy of ‘Pro-Family’ Republicans

Few people are going to miss Representative Chris Lee. Lechery or no lechery, he was a lousy and insignificant politician, given to abusing earmarks and franking privileges. The only reason anyone cares about Lee’s resignation is because of the absurd circumstances of the scandal leading up to it.

Truthfully, even in terms of scandal, it’s more stupid than titillating. Lee, despite being married, sent a shirtless photo of himself to a woman on Craigslist using his real name. No physical sexual misconduct took place, no one was injured, and the American people as a whole wouldn’t have been affected one way or the other if the scandal never broke out.

However, Chris Lee has generated just as much news from the controversy and his subsequent resignation as other licentious politicians. In comparison to other events going on in the world, like the Egyptian situation, the Chris Lee situation is getting more coverage than it most likely deserves. Yet, with further analysis, this situation speaks volumes about not only the nature of political sex scandals, but also of the moral expectations of the Republican political machine.
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How Deregulation Foretold Nuclear Disaster In Japan

There will be a postmortem to determine the cause of the nuclear accident in Japan at Fukushima, and all the usual suspects will be rounded up for interrogation. One, however, will get a nod and a wink without any serious investigation: deregulation. It’s the linchpin of the problem, but it will get nary more than a cursory examination.

In the neoliberal world economy, deregulation and free markets are the Holy Grail on the altar at which we’re all forced to worship. Speaking badly about deregulation is like talking about someone’s mother; it’s simply not done. However, to exclude it from the discussion condemns us to another such tragedy. It’s time this thorny issue be addressed and resolved, once and for all, for the good of every living creature on the planet.
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Why Is America Infatuated With Charlie Sheen’s Downfall?

I applied to be Charlie Sheen’s intern. Unfortunately, 74,048 others couldn’t resist his pitch, either:

Do you have #TigerBlood? Are you all about #Winning? Can you #PlanBetter than anyone else? If so, we want you on #TeamSheen as our social media #TigerBloodIntern!

The world’s most famous warlock seeks a social media enthusiast to track his exploding online brand for eight weeks this summer. Responsibilities include monitoring the actor’s 2 million follower strong Twitter account and sifting through his Youtube mash-ups—ranging from Charlie Brown to Darth Vader.

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Why The Battle For Wisconsin Is The Future Of America

Most people will experience the political overreach and push-back happening in Wisconsin only once or twice in their lifetimes. It’s creating a fundamental ideological shift of formerly entrenched constituencies, and although it takes time for a ship the size of the US to reverse course, that’s exactly what’s happening.

Wisconsin is just a harbinger. After 30 years of “austerity politics,” Republicans have only grandmas, the poor, and school teachers left to attack. Combined with an increased understanding that current tax rates are grossly unfair, Americans are beginning to wrest back their rights in the face of corporate-dominated politics.

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What Do Athletes Salaries Say About American Values?

Remember your first job? Probably at a fast food joint, or maybe working retail somewhere. If you’re like me, you thought $5.65 an hour was a fortune. I mean, working part time could bring in a paycheck upwards of $200! Now imagine you’re Lebron James. Your first paycheck from your first job clocked in a cool $12.96 million for three years. That’s $4.32 million a year, $52,682 a game, or nearly $1,100 per minute. Suddenly, $5.65 an hour doesn’t sounds all that great in comparison to athletes salaries, does it?

This is one very small example of the ridiculousness surrounding athletes and their paychecks. In a society where jobs are disappearing, people are cutting back left and right, and families are losing their houses, athletes are signing record-breaking contracts worth tens of millions of dollars, while their fans just look on adoringly.

In 2009, the average salary for basketball player was $5.84 million. An average baseball player made $3.26 million. A hockey player, $2.4 million. Football players made an average of $770,000, a relatively small chunk of change, but still over the top, take advantage of this and gamble at roseslots for your favorite players and win a lot of money.

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